Two Sides of The Same Coin
by baileymermaid95
Summary: The day I became Sora is the day my life changed forever. No longer was I just Roxas, the quiet kid with only a few good friends, I had suddenly become an international pop sensation with more secrets than I could manage. However, my alter ego is taking over my life, and I fear that soon no one will remember Roxas and Sora will be the only side of me left.
1. Lord of The Potter Vampires

**AN: Well, yeah... this isn't Life is Hell, sorry! I just kinda got distracted and started writing this and wrote 4 chapters in a week which is unheard of for me and now here it is! This is completey different than anything else I've ever written, for one, it's kind of girly and romantic which is so weird for me to write!**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy it anyway, the next chapter will be posted when I get back from vacation in a few weeks! (By the way, "Based On" means the stories will share a similar story line "Inspired By" means that's where I got the idea from)**

**Big thank you to Xoxoroxas for being my lovely editor (I don't have spell check so any errors are her fault); love you Roxy! :D**

**Inspired By and Based On:**** The Other Side of Me by candy3314**

**Disclaimer:**** I might get rich enough some day to own Kingdom Hearts... maybe...**

**Chapter 1: Lord of the Potter Vampires**

I knew before I even opened the door that not only was my mother still awake, she was pissed. If the 43 unanswered messages left on my phone weren't enough proof, the fact that every single light in the house was on was. I glanced at my watch, 3:02 AM; it would be a marvel if I wasn't grounded. My hand hovered above the doorknob, I shifted my weight, debating if I should run around back and sneak in my window avoiding my mother altogether. I hesitated one more moment before taking a deep breath and opening the front door.

I let my gym bag fall off my shoulder and hit the ground with a _thud,_ my combat boots made considerably less noise as I made my way to the front living room and threw myself face down on the nearest couch. "You said you'd be home at midnight," my mother's voice broke through to my weary mind.

"Well, that's because I thought I'd be home at midnight." Although my face was smothered by a cushion, I knew she heard me; she never misses my smart ass retorts.

"Your _brother_ always used to come home on time." I pushed myself up on my elbows to glare at my mother. She was sitting across from me in her favorite high-backed, black armchair wearing a designer dress and looking far too put together for three o'clock in the morning. She folded her arms and met my glare with a challenge of her own.

"Yeah, well I'm not my brother!" I'll admit it, I get defensive when I'm tired... ok, I'm always defensive, but is it wrong to want to be your own person? I hate being compared to my brother. Yes, he's perfect, so what?

"I noticed," came her short, snippy reply. I pushed my face back into the red couch cushion and breathed in the smell of whatever the cleaning lady had used. "You're still going to school tomorrow, be up by 6." With nothing else to say, she got up and left, heels clicking against the tile all to way to the master bedroom. It wasn't until I heard her door close and latch that I felt safe enough to rise from the sofa and climb the ornately carved wooden staircase to my own room.

My room, in stark contrast to the rest of the house, was blue and _messy_. Clothes and sheet music hid my carpet from view, various instruments had kidnapped my bed, posters and pictures claimed my wall space, and the only square foot still visible in the room is where I currently stood. After some creative rearranging (by which I mean moving the things from my floor to my closet, moving the things on my desk to the floor, and moving the things on my bed to the desk) I was able to locate my blue pajama pants and slide in bed.

Since I had already taken out my contacts and brushed my teeth before getting home, I was able to fall asleep before my head even hit the pillow. 3:07 AM, record time.

...

So, 6 became 7 very quickly seeing as my hand and the snooze button are already very good friends. Unfortunately that means I barely had time to squeeze into skinny jeans and grab a Pop tart before I needed to be at school. I willed my skateboard to go faster and cursed the fact I had failed my driving test for the third time. My wheels clattered against breaks in the sidewalk as I neared the learning establishment. Due to either great timing or dumb luck, I managed to put my skateboard in my locker, shove a Pop tart down my throat, and slide into my seat before the bell rang.

Although I had only spent two minutes in front of my mirror this morning putting my contacts in, I knew my hair was spiked in random directions this morning (it's natural state) rather than how I normally wear it: straightened and _human_. The odd glances from my peers confirmed that I did, in fact, look like I just rolled out of bed. Eh, could be worse. At least I would have time to fix it before any of my friends saw.

At that exact moment, the door to my English room flew open, slamming into the wall. In sauntered a tall redhead who looked very out of place among the short, smart people already in the room. "Hey, Roxy! Guess what English class I just got moved in to!" _Speak of the Devil._ I glared at the grinning redhead who stood hunched over in the doorway of my classroom.

"Um, excuse me young sir," my mousy teacher interrupted, "but you do realize that this is an AP class, right?" I couldn't help but snicker at the fake injured look on Axel's face.

"Are you implying that I'm not smart enough to be in this class? Well too bad, cause my counselor said that since it was still the first week I was allowed to transfer and you can't tell me no!" Axel continued to defend himself with ridiculous evidence while my teacher maintained that intelligence and work ethic have nothing to do with each other and Axel has a reputation.

I laughed to myself, I had missed my friends. I had been so busy over the summer that I hadn't even seen Axel since Zack's end of school lake party. It would be nice to have my best friend in my class, although my teacher had a point about his work ethic, lazy bastard.

"Isn't English about expressing your own ideals and views on things? Well my opinion is that you are an awful teacher for not encouraging me to learn. Now, I'm going to sit down and we will see if you can change that view." My teacher opened and closed his mouth again like a gaping fish as Axel arrogantly took a seat right next to me.

"Well, um class," the teacher started after regaining his wits, "let's, um, continue with the, um, lesson, shall we?"

I leaned toward Axel, knowing neither of us actually cared about this class. "Do you always have to be such a smart ass?" I asked him.

He scoffed, "That wasn't even the smartest my ass can be! By the way," he suddenly turned to me and grabbed my head, "what furry thing crawled on top of your head and died?"

I snatched my blond spikes away from him and covered my head with my arms to protect it from his wrath. "Nothing, I just didn't have time to straighten it."

"Well, I like it! You look like Sora with those spikes."

Although I'm pretty sure all of you already know, how could you not; Sora is a pop singer. Actually he is an international sensation. I haven't seen anyone get this popular since Justin Beiber or that One Direction group. Personally, I get why people would _like_ him, but I don't see why he has such a psychotic fan base. I've taken to straightening my hair because I've been attacked on more than one occasion by crazy fan girls claiming I look like him.

"Hey, Roxas," I looked at my best friend with mild interest. In the time I had been thinking, Axel had made about a dozen paper footballs which now lay strewn across his desk ready to strike. "I bet you 5 bucks you can't hit the back of our teacher's head."

...

"You owe me 5 dollars anyway, so why can't you buy me lunch?" In my rush this morning I had forgotten my wallet and Axel, being the great friend he was, laughed at me when I asked if he could lend me some money.

"It was a lucky shot," he argued. I always used to hope that when we got to high school Axel would finally stop being a sore loser, and yet we're juniors and he still pouts like a kicked puppy. I scanned the lunch room for anyone else I knew and who might like me enough to lend me a 5 spot. The rest of our group had already claimed our usual table in the corner so I decided to try my luck with them.

"Hey," I tried, "I left my wallet at home, could anyone lend me some money for lunch?" No one said a word. I knew they were all staring at my hair. Yes, I know it looks weird, stop staring. I rolled my brown eyes in annoyance. "Yes, I look like Sora today, no it wasn't intentional, yes this is how my hair normally looks, yes I'm still hungry please feed me." That seemed to break their trance.

"Did you sleep last night Roxas? Cause you've got these nasty shadows under your eyes." You could always count on Larxene to brighten up your day.

"I didn't get to bed till really late last night." The truth, easy.

"Why?" Demyx piped up. I hadn't noticed him at the lunch table until then. Apparently he had either realized he was gay over the summer or just become really good friends with Zexion because the latter was in his lap reading as if nothing abnormal was going on. I certainly had some catching up to do.

_Why? You have to ask why. Well, I was signing autographs, but I can't tell you that._ "I was, uh... reading."

Zexion looked up for the first time since the conversation had started, I guessed since now we were talking about something he actually had an interest in. "What were you reading," he inquired. I should've known he would ask, this is Zexion after all.

"Um... Lord of the Potter Vampires, I'm still hungry here!" I changed the subject as quickly as I could to hide the fact that I definitely hadn't picked up a book since before the summer and if I had named anything I've read before Zexion would know. He's weird like that.

"Here, I'll buy you lunch," Naminé stepped forward slinging her small purse over one shoulder. Axel, meanwhile, sat himself next to Larxene and began complaining about how I obviously had avoided him all summer to hone my paper football skills. Some friend he is. Naminé asked Selphie to save her seat before taking my arm and leading me to the lunch line.

"You really do look like Sora you know," Naminé commented offhandedly as we moved through the line. "If you had blue eyes then the two of you could be twins."

"Thanks Nam, but I don't really like being compared to him; I like to be my own person. I'd rather be known as Roxas than the kid who looks like Sora, you know?"

"Yeah, but what if the two of you met and became friends? That'd be cool. He's having a concert here this weekend, we should go." I froze up immediately, I knew this day would come eventually and I had been dreading it with all my being.

"I don't know, I'm kind of busy this weekend."

"Roxas, you blew us off all summer, plus I'm buying you lunch, it's the least you can do to be my date to this concert." She looked at me with her big, innocent blue eyes. She and I had been friends forever, even longer than Axel and I have been friends. She knows that I can't say no to her, not when she looks at me like that.

"But..." I searched for an argument, "don't these concerts sell out months in advance, we won't be able to get tickets now."

"Selphie said she has three tickets that she won't be able to use cause she's going to her grandma's funeral this weekend."

"Nana died?"

Naminé looked at me incredulously and I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of this one. "See Roxas, you've been avoiding us for so long you don't even know that Nana died. Let's you, me, and Axel go to this concert, we're you're best friends and you barely even talk to us anymore. Please, for me?" I grabbed my slice of pizza in resignment, I had no choice.

"Fine Nam, for you." She instantly brightened up and hugged me with all her might.

I honestly had no idea how I was going to make this work. There was absolutely no way I could do this. If I didn't show up, Naminé would get upset and I hated to see her upset, but on the other hand if I showed up to go with Naminé and Axel then there wouldn't be a concert to see. I couldn't go to the concert as Roxas because I was already going as someone else.

I couldn't be Roxas because I was already Sora.

**Hope you liked it, next chapter won't be up for another few weeks, sorry. Reviews make me want to write more which means you get to read chapters faster, so reviews=everyone's happiness!**

**Please review!**

**As always,**

**Ali**


	2. Never Enough Time

**AN: Can I just take a moment to say a few things?**

**1. Living without Wifi SUCKS! For anyone who doesn't know, I live in Texas. There was a drastic increase in population in the last few years and the electric companies didn't grow with the population, ergo there is not enough power for everyone. Due to this, not only are they going to start rolling blackouts, and not only is everyone's electric bill supposed to increase by 50% next month, but dumb companies like Time Warner Cable decided it would be fun to stop providing reliable internet! Case in point, I have had almost no access to the internet in the past month and that is why I did not update.**

**2. WHY THE HECK DON'T YOU PEOPLE REVIEW! As of today, 64 people have read this story, but I only have 2 reviews! In theory, I should have 64 reviews from people who either loved it, hated it, or have ideas on how to make it better. This is why I am not updating this story again till I have (collectively) 15 reviews, so it's up to my readers when I update next.  
**

**3. For anyone who has not yet seen The Dark Knight Rises of The Amazing Spider-man, your life is incomplete! Spider-man is SO worth seeing, I loved it, it's awesome! Batman is long, but good... well... the second half is good, the beginning is kind of dumb...**

**Sorry for the severely long note, I promise it won't happen again!**

**Love as always to my darling Roxy (Xoxoroxas): the best beta a strange girl could ask for!**

**Disclaimer: I own a hippo, a pig, a monster, a minion, and a French Worm King (all crocheted of course), but not Kingdom Hearts... although who else is pissed that Dream Drop Distance is only on dumb Nintendo 3Ds?**

**Chapter 2: Never Enough Time**

Unlike the night before, my mom's car was not in the driveway so I was safe from her wrath. She had made the point to ground me this morning for "being defiant of her decisions as my mother" or something like that. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere until my concert this Saturday.

I flopped down on my favorite red couch again, my mind wandering to Sora.

My father died three years ago when I was 13, my mom's job at the local day care couldn't support us anymore. I started singing in local coffee shops for money armed with nothing but my guitar and original lyrics. When I performed at my 8th grade talent show, the YouTube video caught the attention of XIII Records.

My manager (Vexen) was the one who suggested I adopt the personality of "Sora". He argued that I was such a depressing person and that wouldn't sell my music as well as if I was happy and loveable. Thus I donned the brunette wig modeled after my own hairstyle and from then on had to hide both my natural eyes and hair to avoid being attacked by crazy fan girls who mistake me for Sora.

I looked up at the ornate ceiling with golden chandelier. My mom had used the money I made as Sora to move us to this new house and buy herself a new wardrobe. I can't say I hate the new house, it's just too big. I can't ever bring my friends here lest they wonder where we suddenly got so much money.

I ran my hands through my blonde hair and sighed, I was certainly going to have a hard week... and it was only Monday!

I was working on catching up on my missed sleep when my cell phone rang. _Ugh, leave me alone._ I fished the device out of my pocket and held it up to my ear. "Hello-"

"Sora! You'll never guess where I am; you need to get over here right away!" Don't get me wrong, I really do love my friends, but why do they all have to sound so chipper all the time?

"Yuffie," I groaned, "how can I go over there when you said I'll never guess where you are?"

A pause. "Oh... Well I'm at Cid's house and he's throwing this huge party tonight and guess who's coming! Ansem is coming and he said he wanted to meet you cause he has this movie he's casting and he wants you to be in it! Isn't that fantastic! You need to come!" I took a minute to wonder whether or not she had taken a breath that entire time before replying.

"It sounds great Yuffie, but-"

"There are no "buts" with this Sora," she cut me off.

"Yuffie, I'm grounded I really can't go." I switched my phone to my other ear and pushed myself off the couch. I padded to the kitchen and opened the fridge in search of something to sate my hunger.

"But Sora," Yuffie whined. "This is such a great opportunity you know." _Why is there never any food in this house?_

"Do you know what's sad, you sound more excited about this than I do," she usually did. Yuffie got excited about everything, but I was used to it.

Yuffie is the bassist for my band, Cid the drummer, and they were two of the only people who knew that Sora was Roxas. Until I find who can anyone to rival my guitar skill, I'm stuck playing my own lead guitar while simultaneously singing. The three of us spent the entire summer together on my national tour (yes, _my _tour, even solo artists need music), and trust me, Yuffie in a tour bus for 9 hours is not fun for anyone.

I spent so much time as Sora this summer that I almost lost Roxas...

I shook my head to clear it. "Sora... Roxas," Yuffie said about a decibel lower than normal. "Please be here." _Ugh, why do I have such manipulative friends?_

"What time?" I asked, defeated for the second time today.

"9 at Cid's house, see ya then!"

I banged my head against the fridge, unsure of how exactly I was going to sneak out. _Damn._

...

In the mirror I could see the clock hanging on the wall behind me, 8:42 PM; _why am I so obsessed with time?_ I looked back at myself and stared at the big brown eyes that currently matched the brunette spikes on top of my head; this was it. I slowly took out the contacts and looked into my natural cerulean eyes.

Ever since I was little people told me I had such beautiful eyes; it has become the most distinguishing feature about Sora. I hid my blue eyes while I was Roxas and told everyone who had known me before all of this that I'd always had brown eyes and they must be thinking of the color contacts I once owned. I like being Sora and all, but I hate what he's doing to Roxas.

I checked myself in the mirror before pulling on the khaki slacks, Sperry's, button up plaid shirt, and white v-neck I had picked out from "Sora's" closet. Sora was a lot preppier than I am to match his bubbly personality.

Now came the hard part.

I knew sneaking out wasn't actually hard because I'd done it before and never gotten caught, however, if I did get caught I was going to be buried in a heap of trouble. Any minute now my mom would be heading out to go clubbing with her new, rich friends. Sure enough, "Rox, I'm leaving," she called up the stairs. "Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of."

_Pff, as if._ I waited till I could no longer see my mom's headlights on the road before I exited the home. I sighed in mental preparation for the night ahead of me.

...

I can honestly say that I was not prepared for the bone crushing hug I received from Yuffie when I arrived at the party. Actually, I had been thinking about how I really needed to be home before midnight if I didn't want to be caught and not about psycho ninja huggers like Yuffie.

"You came!" she exclaimed rather loudly in my ear, arms wrapped tight around my neck. Right when I thought my head was going to pop off, she let go.

I almost let out a signature, _Duh!_ when I remembered that I needed to act like Sora and instead slipped a silly, happy (fake) smile on my face and replied, "Of course! Why would I miss a chance to see my best friend ever?" Although it sounded fake to me, the surrounding partygoers awed and looked freakishly happy when I hugged Yuffie back. _Get your own lives people._

"It hasn't even been a day and I've missed you so much. Come here, there's someone I want you to meet." As she dragged me through the house by my wrist I was able to catch glimpses of familiar faces. These people aren't my friends, mind you, I don't even know most their names, but they always seem to be at all the parties I go to.

I spotted the really large man whose middle shirt button always looks like it's going to pop off and hit someone in the eye who is never seen without a much younger, far more attractive woman on his arm. There's a tall, shady woman with a hook nose who thinks people can't tell her diamonds are fake. Oh! There's the bachelor from new money making outrageous bets as always and spending his remaining money on every drink he can get his hands on. If only these people knew how stupid they looked.

Then I spotted a face that was familiar for all the wrong reasons, someone I actually knew as Roxas, a friend. I lost her face in the crowd though before I could confirm if it was really her or not.

I looked back at Yuffie to see she had led me out of the house to the pool deck where Cid was conversing with someone who I could only guess was Ansem from Wise Studios. Yuffie stopped and introduced me to the tall, blondish man.

"Mr. Ansem, meet Sora." I shook his hand politely as my two friends snuck away to allow us to speak privately.

"It's very nice to meet you sir, I've only heard great things about you and of course your work is a marvel all its own." Don't let anyone tell you that flattery doesn't get you anywhere, because it's gotten me out of more tough places than I care to count... that's unrelated though.

"Thank you Sora. I've also heard great things about you. Now, I'm directing a new movie and, after speaking with my casting director, we would like you to audition for our main role. You would be playing a teenage boy who finds out that he is actually a genetic experiment designed by aliens to help overthrow Earth. It would be an action suspense movie, and we really think you would fit the part."

_Overthrow the Earth? Well, I already have millions of teen girls brainwashed. I don't really know what I should tell him though. On the one hand this would launch my career in acting which would be really cool, but on the other hand, he's asking Sora not Roxas. What would I tell everyone on set? And what about the filming? Doesn't it take three months to film a movie? What would I tell my friends when they ask where I'm going? Ugh, this makes my head hurt._

I flashed Ansem my best smile before delivering the lukewarm answer he didn't want, "Well, it's a very generous offer, but I'm going to have to talk to my agent first."

I truthfully have no idea what he said next, and right then I didn't care. That's when I spotted her. I thought I had seen her, but to know she was actually there was a beyond scary thought. Standing across the pool, talking like she belonged there, was Naminé.

"Excuse me please," I muttered, stumbling over my own feet in my haste to get up. I don't know what I thought I was going to do once I reached her, but luckily for me I didn't have to worry. As I rounded the hot tub, Yuffie appeared at my side and put her head next to mine to see where I was looking.

"Ooh, I almost forgot," she exclaimed in recognition. "C'mon Sora, there's someone who wants to meet you." She all but pulled my arm off for the second time that night and dragged me in the direction I had been heading... right to Naminé.

Naminé turned as we approached and her face lit up instantly. "Yuffie I can't believe it, I know you said you were Sora's bassist, but I didn't think I would actually get to meet him!" She grabbed my hand from Yuffie and shook it harder than is socially acceptable then squealed. The screaming threw me off a little, Naminé is usually such a quiet, reserved person, but I guess this is what happens when she gets excited about something.

"Sora, this is Naminé, I promise you she's not usually this crazy. I ran into her at the mall today, literally, and she is my new best friend, ever heard of friend at first sight?" Yuffie grinned at me as if proud of the fact that she'd made a friend all by herself.

"Well," I started, trying to remind to myself that Naminé did not know I was Sora and I wanted to keep it that way. "It's really nice to meet you Naminé; any friend of Yuffie's is a friend of mine." I flashed her a lopsided smile then added for effect, "Say, are you coming to my concert this weekend?"

"Actually, yes I am! My two best friends and I are all going together, ooh! You should meet Roxas, he really looks like you. His hair was all spiky today and everyone told him he has Sora hair; if his eyes weren't brown the two of you could be twins." _Thank you Jesus for the invention of colored contacts._

"Then I hope you and your friends enjoy it," I glanced at my watch for the first time since I had arrived at the party (yes, I have an OCD thing about time) and it was already well past 11. Time flies, no joke. "I actually have somewhere to be, so I'll see ya around. It was nice meeting you Naminé." And like that I had successfully avoided a potentially dangerous encounter.

I pushed through the crowd to the front door; then, suddenly, my cell phone rang. I did the most foolish thing I could have possibly done and answered without thinking to check who it was. "Hello," I said.

"...Roxas?" Naminé's voice cut into my heart like a dagger. I whipped around, her eyes met mine. _She saw me, oh shit she saw me_. I did the only thing I could think of, I ran. I prayed to God that she brushed it off as a coincidence, please let her just brush it off as a coincidence.

I put rubber to concrete and ran the entire way back to my house. How could I be so stupid? My life is ruined. If she tells anyone, I'm finished. The only good thing was that my mom hadn't come home yet so I was in the clear with her, but somehow that didn't make me feel any better. I fell asleep with dread still in the pit of my stomach.

My secret was getting harder to keep.

**AN: Ooooooooohh! What's going to happen! I don't know! This is so exciting!**

**Recomendation of the week: Don't run with scissors!**

**Remember that I'm not going to update again until I have 15 reviews, thank you to AnimexxLover1827 and EmotionalDisaster666 for reviewing the first time without having to be threatened.**

**As beautiful as always,**

**Ali**


	3. Shh! It's a Secret

**AN: Hello again! I didn't quite get the 15 reviews I wanted, but 13 is better than 2! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, it's really nice to know that you people actually care about this story!I'm going to try to keep updating weekly for you guys, but I have a super secret surprise in store for all of you as soon as I get to 50 reviews... but since that isn't now, on to business:**

**The AC in my house went out this past weekend and it was hot as a butt crack! Honestly! It was 98 in my house! EW!**

**In other news, I finished my 5th crocheted animal, huzzah amigurumi! It's a minion from Despicable Me! And, oh! I watched every singe episode of The Spectacular Spiderman this week and it is by far the best Spiderman show out there and I can say that because I have at least _tried_ watching them all.**

**Big thanks to Candy3314 for reviewing considering her story is the inspiration for this one! And Xoxoroxas, my lovely beta!**

**Disclaimer:**** "I'll get you my pretty, and Final Fantasy too!" (Yeah... me no own)**

**Chapter 3: Shh! It's a Secret**

Everyone has days when they don't want to get up, when the allure of a warm bed is just too appealing, but it's not often that I wake up and dread having to face the world that day. That's how I felt when I got up this morning. Naminé had seen me, and, after the reaction I recieved when meeting her as Sora, I knew there was no way she wouldn't mention it. I really just didn't want to have to deal with that. Life was so much easier before all these lies.

Although my alarm clock didn't go off till 6:15, I was up long before that; I just laid staring at my ceiling trying to come up with a way to successfully feign innocence and brush off what she had seen as a coincidence. After loads of thinking and intense brainstorming, I finally decided that avoidance was my best bet.

The day passed without an incident due to my ducking around corners anytime she came near; cowardly as it may be, hiding was preferable to the alternative. It wasn't until my 5th period math class that anything even remotely interesting or report worthy happened.

So, you know your math class is stupid when the game on your iPod is more intellectually challenging... I was playing Soltaire, that should tell you something about my math class. I honestly couldn't tell and didn't care what my teacher was doing, flailing arms and screaming can mean anything in this class. Seriousy, one minute my teacher is singing, the next he's screaming at people for touching the thermostat and sending kids to the office without explaination.

The phone rang in the midst of my ignoring the class, halting all noise that did not pertain to learning. My teacher glared at the class as a silent "shut up" before answering the telephone. He faked teaching for about 6 seconds before actually saying hello (I'm telling you, if anyone knew what actually went on in this classroom, he'd be so fired).

I leaned back in my chair, folded my hands behind my head, and attempted to sleep; I had already beat Sotaire 14 times in a row and was now officially sick of the class. "Roxas," the balding male caught my attention, "you're checking out."

Not that I was going to complain for being saved from that awful hellhole, but I was really confused as to who savior was. I knew for a fact that it wasn't my mother, she was too busy playing the part of a high society socialite to bother with me, and I couldn't think of anyone else who would come get me from school.

I rounded the corner to the front office, my eyes instantly zeroing in on the pink-haired man standing in the front lobby of my school. _Marluxia? Why the hell is he here? Oh no, people can't know he knows me, he's Sora's agent... this is bad._ I pushed my way inside the office, got a vice grip on his upper arm, and pulled him out of the school and to the safety of... a limo? Oh hell.

I all but dove into the vehicle dragging my idiotic agent behind me.

With the door secure behind me and a confused agent glaring at me, I finally demanded, "What the hell are you thinking?" I'm sure my anger was visible, honestly there was probably steam coming out of my ears.

"What do you mean?" If I didn't know any better I might've thought he was joking or just feigning innocence, but he quite literally is one of the most absentminded people I have ever met in my entire life.

I retorted with a very annoyed face along with the smart ass question, "What do you mean what do I mean?"

I need to take off my shoes and grow a few more limbs to count how many times I've wished I had a better agent, as exemplified by his resounding, "What?" Yeah, I'm a teenager, I can't help it... I face palmed. _He has to be kidding me_.

I let my hand slide off my face and hit my lap before returning my gaze to my ever confused agent. "Let me put this is simpler terms, what are you doing here?" I puntuated each word in my question as if speaking to a toddler; although given what I know about Marluxia's intelligence level, I might've made more ground with the toddler.

His face intstantly lit up in recognition. "Oh! I spoke to your mom this morning about taking you out to lunch to talk about the Wise Studios movie offer. She gave me the address to your school and told me it was ok if I just came and picked you up... she didn't tell you?"

_Of course it was my mother, why am I not surprised in the least? _I signaled the driver to start moving and settled into my seat. "Marluxia, if anyone asks, I'm your nephew."

"Silly Roxas, I don't have any siblings, I can't have a nephew." I'm not sure if it was the frustrated glare I sent him, or the finger, but either way Marluxia shut up for the rest of the drive.

When we finally arrived at Sauce, a nice (**nice**) Italian restaurant downtown, Marluxia played the gentleman and opened to door for me and everything. I'd been to the eating establishment on numerous occasions, but I felt so out of place without a brunette wig and fake personality to hide behind. This was a place Sora would go to eat, not Roxas.

Only once lunch had been ordered and delivered to our hidden-in-the-back-corner table did Marluxia bring up the movie deal.

"I just don't know if I want to take it," I argued, "I mean... I already spent three months on a national tour and my friends are already suspicious and I just don't think it's what I want to do."

"Roxas," Marluxia's expression turned serious for the first time in his life, "speaking as your agent I think this is a great oppurtunity for you and it would certainly further your career. Speaking as your friend though, I understand why you wouldn't want to do it and I respect that decision, however, I don't see what the harm is in just auditioning for the role. Even if they cast you, nothing is certain till you sign a contract so you will still have the choice on whether or not you want to do it. That gives you some time to think about it, ok?"

When he put it that way it didn't sound that bad, it would give me time to talk it over with... someone... and decide whether or not it was something I wanted to take the time to do.

Marluxia looked at my expectantly, I rolled my eyes back at him. "Fine, set up an audition, why not? I'd rather get it over with sooner than later."

"Yay! Good for you! And I'm not just saying that because I get 10% of whatever you make." I rolled my eyes again and contemplated why everyone I knew was always so much more excited about the things in my life than me.

"So..." I started, "I don't have to go back to school today... right?" Marluxia thought, then shook his head.

_Good, I'll take any distraction that means I don't have to face Naminé yet. _

...

I somehow managed to avoid Naminé for the rest of the week, but I knew my luck wouldn't last.

On Friday (unarguably the best day of the week unless one of your best friends knows something that could destroy your life), Naminé finally cornered me to confront me about what she saw. I had been walking to the library to work on a project, minding my own business, when she jumped out of the shadows and ninja tossed me into the girl's bathroom. Ok, so I'm being a _little_ dramatic, but she did pull me into the girl's bathroom to talk.

"Naminé, what are you doing, I don't feel comfortable being in here. Why are you still touching me?" I hate unnecessary touching, just so you know, and I certainly didn't like being in the girl's bathroom. I felt like I was invading privacy and being a pedophile or something. I don't like feeling like a pedophile.

"Why have you been avoiding me all week?" she demanded, then crossed her arms and tried to look menacing but the effect was lost when I saw the unspoken layers of hurt in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

This caught me off guard, I thought I was at least going to get a chance to defend my case, but there it was. I physically stumbled backward in surprise. "What do you... uh, what do you mean?" I tried to cover up my obvious shock with... ugh, who am I kidding? She saw right through it.

"Is it because you don't trust me, or did you just not think it was an important thing to tell your _best friend_? I would've expected this kind of betrayal from Axel, but not you." She looked at me as if willing me not to confirm her fears, as if not saying I was Sora would mean it wasn't real. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Well, are you going to say anything?"

"I'm sorry," I murmured. And I meant it. "I was just scared. I wasn't so much scared of you telling anyone as I was scared of what you would say. I didn't want you to treat me differently just because I'm Sora." Her eyes widened slightly as I admitted what she had suspected all along. Arms flung past my face and wrapped themselves around my neck.

"Thank you for trusting me, even if it is a little late" she whispered into my ear. She stepped back, wiped her tears with her sleeves, and laughed. "And to think," she added, "you let me act like an annoying fan girl in front of you. Some friend you are!" She punched my arm in jest and we were both able to exit the bathroom laughing.

With my back turned, I didn't see the stall door that swung open and the sly grin that formed in the dark.

...

Naminé, arm linked in mine, led me back toward the library. "So..." she started, bit her lip, then continued, "does this mean you're not going with me and Axel this weekend." She grinned up at me knowingly.

"I was really worried about that before; I didn't want to have to lie to you."

"Well, let's just tell Axel your secret then you-"

Yes, it was a little harsh, but those were the exact words that I dreaded hearing, _ever_. As soon as those words left her lips, I grabbed her by the shoulders, flung her around, and slammed her against the wall.

"No, you can't tell Axel." She looked at me, her big, innocent blue eyes gleaming with the beginnings of tears. She looked scared. Friends don't slam friends against walls.

I released her, rubbing the back of my neck in shame. "Sorry," I apologized, "I just really don't want Axel to know. I never want to have to deal with what he might say or do when he finds out. Plus," I paused and looked away sheepishly, "I'm kinda embarressed about being Sora." I expected to look up and see and angry Naminé, but rather met her shocked expression.

"You're embarressed? You freaking Sora and you're _embarressed?_ What the hell is wrong with you?" she all but screamed for all the world to hear. I covered her mouth with my hand and gave her an annoyed glance.

"I don't want people to know about that, remember?"

"Know what?" I dropped Naminé and whirled around frantically. Axel appeared around the corner of the hall, tall and red as always. How much did he hear, how damn much did he hear? He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, unaudibly demanding an answer.

"That, um... I , uh... you see-"

"Roxas can't go to the Sora concert this weekend. And since he's not going, I don't want to go anymore either." Naminé came to my rescue (after pulling herself off the floor of course) and gave Axel an impish grin.

"What the hell you guys? Who am I supposed to go with now?" Axel flung his arms in the air, disbelief evident on his face. I was so grateful for Nam backing me up on this, it reassured me that she wouldn't tell anyone my secret... on purpose at least.

"I dunno Axel," she coddled, "don't you have any other friends? Or take your sister, she'd love it!" He gave Naminé a disgusted look in return before muttering something which I took to mean "fine" and walked back the way he came.

"Thanks Nam, you're a good friend." I tried to give her a hug, but she grabbed my arms before I could.

"Hold on a minute there, if I'm going to have to lie to one of my best friends, I expect something in return." I lifted one eyebrow at her, questioning her motives. I always feared being blackmailed by someone who knew my secret. "I want you to take me to the concert."

"Um, Nam," I pet her head, "I can't, remember?"

She wiggled our from under my hand, her eyes speaking levels of trickery. "I know that dummy! I meant, take me as Sora."

"No, no, absolutely not, you're not-"

"Come on, I could go in a disguise, no one would ever have to know it was me." She pleaded with her eyes, "Please! I want to see the backstage and see you perform, _please_!" I know I've said this in the past, but I need to find a less manipulative friend who can't get me to say yes with one bat of her eyelashes.

"Fine," I grumbled. "But you can't look anything like yourself or you're not coming. No one can know Naminé is friends with Sora, ok?" She nodded frantically and hugged me fiercely.

This was going to be one hell of a night.

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Just so you know, that math class is an accurate representation of my math class this last year. My teacher was insane and most likely bipolar, I would sit and play Solitaire and Draw Something with the kid who sat behind me, then we would both get a 104% on the tests... it was a worthless math class.**

**Recomendation of the week: Watch out for bears.**

**If anyone wants to give me a 3DS, I will love you forever, but I'd love you longer if you left a review!**

**As always,**

**Ali**


	4. Show Time

**AN: Sorry this is posted so late, my friend and I were eating homemade cheesecake and watching Yu Yu Hakusho! My clock says 11:58 though, score!**

**I begged my friend to lend me her DS so I could play all the KH games that are only on DS, luckily she likes me enough to let me borrow it! YAY! Now I can play all the games I've never played!**

**So... If anyone even remotely likes Spiderman, watch The Spectacular Spiderman, it is by far the best Spiderman show out there, and I've seen them all. Also, I started reading the original Spiderman comics, The Amazing Spider-Man, and it's so weird how different it is from every other Spiderman story.**

**In other news, my sister is obsessed with personality types right now, I'm a Choleric Sanguine, if anyone wants to know what personality type they are and what it means, let me know and I can hook you up with a great site!**

**PS, cookies to everyone who guessed Naminé would be Kairi... you good guessers...**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, all the games would be on the same platform! They are not, ergo I do not own!**

**Chapter 4: Show Time**

"Roxas, the limo's here," my mother screamed up the stairs. I could tell she was already drunk; I honestly don't know where she keeps getting alcohol because every time I find any I throw it away immediately.

I returned my attention to the boy facing me in the mirror. Only a few years ago he seemed to be a complete stranger to me, now it was just as common to see him in the mirror as it was to see Roxas. "Sora" stared back at me, blue eyes gleaming and brunette hair spiked to perfection. I applied light eyeliner to the bottoms of my lids, so my eyes "can be seen on stage" or something, and ran my fingers through my hair (wig) once again.

Content with my appearance, I plodded down the stairs, my shoes making a weirder noise than my comforting combat boots. My mom was on the couch with her arm flung over her eyes. "Roxas, darling, could you turn the lights out please? Your mama's head hurts." I complied only because I pitied her. I missed the days when she would kiss the top of my head and tell me to be safe before I ever left the house.

Pushing aside the distracting nostalgia, I locked the front door behind me and slipped into the limo. As per usual, Vexen sat perpendicular to me, and next to me... wait. Next to me? No one else was supposed to be in the limo. I whipped my head around to meet... a girl.

The girl seemed to be about my age with gorgeous red hair elegantly half pinned up in intricate little circles on the back of her head, the rest of her hair falling delicately around her shoulders. She was dressed in a form hugging purple tank-top with a black leather jacket thrown on top, black sparkling shorts, and black high-top Converse. Sparkling black earrings hung next to her beautiful features which were highlighted by perfectly applied make-up, thick black lashes framing blue sparkling eyes.

She giggled, a light, twinkling sound akin to the ringing of small bells. "You don't recognize me?" she asked in the sweetest, most innocent voice I have ever heard. I gaped for a minute as my brain slowly processed the question and formed an answer.

"Naminé?" I tried, unsure of whether or not this stunning goddess could really be my best friend. She smiled, her eyes instantly lighting up and her white smile rivaling the brilliance of mine.

"Of course dummy," she joked. "I'm calling this alter-ego Kairi, I really think the name works with her fiery personality." Still shocked beyond belief I did the only thing that seemed logical, I hugged her. Vexen shook his head at us, once again befuddled by the antics of teenagers, and signaled the driver to begin moving.

Vexen cleared his throat, ever playing the drama queen despite his emotionless exterior. "Sora," he drawled obnoxiously, "would you mind ceasing these... affections for one moment? There are a few matters that require discussion before we arrive."

I flashed Nam my "sorry my manager's a prick" look and turned to face said prick. "Thank you. Now, since you will be bringing a..." he glanced at Naminé before sneering, "guest, I believe I should go over your itinerary for the evening." _Does he think using "big" words makes him sound superior?_

I rolled my eyes, "If you are implying that my _friend_ won't behave herself backstage, then I would like to invite you to kiss my ass!" I put on my best sarcastic smile and held back my laughter when Vexen looked appalled and embarrassed... a fitting look for him.

He composed himself quickly though and replied snidely, "Oh Roxas, this is why I adore working with you." He turned away from us as if determined to tune out anything teenager related for the remainder of the car ride.

"Sorry about that," I apologized to Naminé. "What?" I cried when I noticed her incredulous stare.

"It's just so funny to me how different you act as Sora compared to Roxas," she giggled as if to emphasize the point that she thought I was funny.

I crossed my arms and faux pouted, "What's the supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Just that I never thought the violent, brooding, borderline antisocial Roxas would ever be the energetic, loveable, people pleasing Sora!" She gave me a cute grin, _like that makes the whole world brighter_. I pushed her playfully, unsure of how to respond to something like that.

Suddenly, almost as if a switch had been hit, her face became dark and serious. "Roxas..." she started, then bit her lip as she searched for the words to express her curiosity, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"What made you _become_ Sora?" The wistful look in her eye led me to believe she already knew the answer, but hoped I would open up to her about it anyway.

I never talked about my dad, just as a rule of thumb. My father was a musician, like me. He was the one who taught me how to play the guitar, he took me to my first concert, he helped me write my first song; my dad meant everything to me. I changed when he died, I knew all of my friends could tell and were worried about me, but I never talked about it. I tried to convince myself that if I never told anyone he was dead, then it wouldn't be true. I knew my dad would be proud to see me using the skills he taught me. I know he would be in the very front row at every single one of my concerts if he could. It is in every way because of him that I am Sora.

I sighed, "As you know, my dad..." I choked up there for a minute, unable to go on lest I begin sobbing. Finally I continued, "He died 3 years ago and my mom couldn't support us anymore. Much as it killed me inside to play my guitar without my father there, I played my original songs for money. Then I got famous and the rest is history."

Naminé (should I be calling her Kairi?) let a broad smile overtake her features, "I'm sure your dad would be proud, but I have to ask," she glanced at Vexen as if he influenced her question in some way. "Why don't you sing _your_ songs?"

Vexen looked back at us with a "stupid girl" look on his face and chose to answer for me, "Because the songs Roxas writes won't sell in today's market. People don't want to listen to hallow, emotional, "alternative" music, they want music that makes them happy and that they can dance to. XIII records is not going to support an artist who isn't going to make any money, which is why we have to write him songs that will sell."

I gestured at Vexen as if to say "See, that's why" and "This is what I have to deal with" and "Isn't he a prick?" all at the same time. Nam opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance as the chauffeur announced our arrival at the venue.

I whipped my head around to face my friend, grabbed her hand, and asked, "Are you ready?" before opening the door to chaos.

As soon as we stepped out of the vehicle, the effect was immediate. Fans had lined up early to get a glimpse of Sora before the show and thus were screaming louder than I believed humanly possible as soon as they spotted me. The disguised Naminé looked awestruck by it all, but snapped out of it rather quickly as cameras began flashing pictures of the two of us together.

I tried to guide her toward the door so that she wouldn't get pulled to the other side of the police barrier by my crazy fans and mauled before she ever got to watch my show from backstage, but she seemed to enjoy the attention she was receiving and had no intention on leaving. I politely stood and posed with her despite my overwhelming desire to escape to the comfort of my dressing room. I'm not a people person, remember!

Unsurprisingly, as soon as I was finally able to get her to the stage door, my arm was grabbed from behind, ceasing my forward movement. "My name is Olette from People magazine, and everyone is dying to know who the mystery girl is with you tonight. Is she a sister, a friend, a girlfriend? The people would like to know!"

My face screwed up in confusion, what was she... oh... Naminé. "Well, you can tell your readers that her name is Kairi and she's a childhood friend of mine, no romantic relationship whatsoever, sorry."

With that, I shut the stage door behind me and left the rest of the crazies to the policeman outside.

...

Behind the stage wasn't any calmer than the entrance to the concert hall; individuals from various crews were running back and forth making sure my pyrotechnics would work, that the band knew their cues, and all the dancers were in their places. Yuffie and Cid waved to me as Naminé and I retreated to my dressing room, Naminé whispering the entire time that I'm much too antisocial for my own good.

As soon as I was safe in the comfort of my personal dressing room, I stepped behind a screen to change into the outfit my costume designer layed out. Suddenly I heard a, "Wow!" coming from the other side of the room. I peeked my head around the screen until my friend came into view.

"Wow what?" I retorted with more snarkiness than I intended.

"Wow!" she repeated.

"Wow good? Wow bad? Wow there's no way this is really happening and I've either completely lost my mind or Roxas and I are sharing the same hallucination? What does "wow" mean?" I pulled on the last piece of my ensemble and walked around to the front of the screen and leaned against the wall.

Naminé, who still sat bewildered on the sofa, took in the new clothes I was wearing, sighed, then replied, "Wow means that I can't believe you never told me about this before. It's really hard to get used to the idea that my best friend is also Sora and didn't trust me with that secret. I mean, you spent the entire summer alone, on your tour I'm assuming, but if you'd only trusted me enough to share this with me earlier, I could've supported you. Why didn't you tell me before this?"

Now it was my turn to sigh, "Nam, we've been friends since, what? 4th grade? And we met Axel in like 7th grade, right? Before we met him I never kept a single secret from you, but for some reason, there were things that I didn't want Axel to know and it didn't seem fair to only tell one of you and not the other. I don't want Axel to know I'm Sora, ever if I can help it!

"You've heard Axel talk about Sora before, haven't you? He always mocks the people who like Sora, and always makes up his own rude lyrics to the songs, and is constantly telling me that he can't understand why people like Sora. How would you feel if your best friend talked that way about you? It sucks hearing him say those things now, just imagine if he knew I was Sora and said those things to my face. I don't want him to stop being my friend because of this, that's why I haven't told him."

Naminé put her hand on my shoulder and smiled to show me that she understood and supported me. "Now," she started abruptly, breaking the moment, "you can't be all mopey like this as Sora, show me that smile." I can never say no to that girl. I let the silliest, sloppiest grin that I could manage slip onto my face and beamed up at her.

The dressing room door swung open with a loud _thump_ as it hit the wall, revealing none other than my favorite person in the whole world, Vexen. "Sora," he stated, "show time."

...

I don't know if you've ever performed on stage in front of millions of screaming fans, but the sensation is incredible. As soon as my foot hit the stage I was transported into a different world; a world filled to the brim with swirling melodies, intricate harmonies, swift rhythms, and the pleasure of opening my mouth and bringing everything together into a cacophony that slowly dissipates and fades into sweeter nothings. To be surrounded by that kind of energy, knowing that every single person watching you adores you (or was dragged there by their younger sister) and is even so obsessed with you that they know all the lines to your songs is an experience unlike anything else in the world.

The moment I opened my mouth to sing the first notes of the show, I knew in my bones that it was going to be a great performance. The only thing that felt odd, but not out of place, was Namine watching from the wings. I never even imagined seeing as big a smile on her face as I did then, she was practically radiating joy.

When I sang, I felt like I was flying. When I sang, I felt like I could do anything. When I say, I felt less concerned about what Axel would think about Sora. When I sang, I felt like I was with my dad.

...

The crowd demanded 3 encores that night, to which I happily complied. Vexen finally demanded that I stop by arguing I needed vocal rest or something.

When I finally came off the stage, I was immediately trapped in the largest hug I've ever received. "You did awesome Rox," Naminé whispered in my ear. She pulled back to look at me, tears of joy gleaming in the corners of her eyes. "I know you told me you were Sora, but it never really hit me until just now what all that entailed. Wow Roxas, you are incredible."

I rubbed the back of my neck bashfully, "Um... thanks."

"Ok, you are officially the coolest person I know," she stated bluntly. "It's a shame I can't tell anyone how freaking awesome you are."

My eyes widened at the thought. "No, you can't! School would be a nightmare if people knew, it's hard enough trying to get to class without people mobbing me." I visibly winced causing Naminé to laugh. She knew I hated people, and hated being touched, and hated crowds... and hated crowds of people touching me.

"Yeah," she huffed, "I can imagine." At that moment, an over excited but less insane than normal Yuffie made her way over to Nam and me.

"So," she nudged my arm, "who's the pretty girl? You didn't tell me you were bringing a girl! I thought we were close Rox, but obviously you hate me and our friendship means nothing to-"

"Yuffie!" I interrupted her dramatic rant, "chill, she's just a-"

Now it was Naminé's turn to interrupt, "She knows you're Roxas?"

Both girls looked at each other, then at me simultaneously asking, "How does she know you're Roxas?"

I looked at them speechless. Naminé put her hand on my arm, getting my attention. "You told Yuffie, but not me?" How do you respond to that? Ugh, these girls are going to be the death of me!

"Wait a minute," Yuffie pointed accusingly as Naminé. "How does she know my name is Yuffie?"

That's when I stopped paying attention, once Yuffie realized she actually knew and liked Naminé, they started conversing about girly things that I really didn't have an interest in; I mean, come on! How interesting can shoes be?

"Yeah yeah, we're all friend, now can we go?"

"Go?" Naminé began. "Do we go home, or what? I'm not really sure how these things are supposed to work."

I flashed her an "are you kidding me" look before asking, "Go home? I meant go outside, don't you want to meet my fans?"

**THIS CHAPTER WAS SO LONG!**

**I hope you people still like this story! Thanks to Justice333 for leaving me the nicest review recently.**

**Why didn't you people review this chapter as much? You're slacking!**

**Without reviews, I have no motivation to write, please leave reviews if you want to read the rest of this story!**

**As always,**

**Ali**


	5. Not A School Night

**AN: Yes, I'm alive! ****I know, I know, shut up! So what if this is a _little_ late? I have had no time to write. Between school, college applications, our ITS Nationals selected production of Legally Blonde, and all the other crap I've had to do, I'd say I was kinda busy.**

**Have you ever had that moment when you're reading an awesome Fanfiction and you really want to know what happens next, but there aren't any more chapters up and you're about to leave a frantic review when you realize that you are the author of that story and you'll never find out what happens unless you write it? Let's just say, that's the reason you people now have Chapter 5 of this story!**

*********IMPORTANT:*** If you do not already know about The Eliminators and what they are trying to do to Fanfiction, I suggest you look up their forum as well as The Avengers, the group I started to try to protect the rights of Fanfiction authors. Seriously, even if you don't agree with my side of this fight, everyone should know what is going on. I'm not kidding! You need to go look this up!**

**Thank you to Roxy (Xoxoroxas), my lovely beta.**

**Sorry this chapter is short.**

**Disclaimer: Do I own this? Is How I Met Your Mother better than Friends? That would be a NO!**

**Chapter 5: Not A School Night**

"Do you do this every weekend?" Naminé asked in the limo on our way home. I glanced up at her and slowly nodded. She beamed. "That is so freaking cool! A little scary, but totally cool! You're going to let me come with you every weekend, right? Oh! Tonight was so much fun... despite the crazies. How can you not tell people about this? It is so cool. Rox you're-" She cut off instantly when she saw the look on my face.

"Rox," she started," are you ok?" A light from outside traveled across her face: her features casting distorted shadows. I watched her through my bangs knowing full well she could see the sorrow in my eyes. "Are you still thinking about what happened?" she tried. I averted my eyes as if ashamed to confirm her thoughts.

She sighed then lifted my chin till my eyes met hers. "Roxas, listen to me. It's going to be fine, just forget it happened. You're freaking out over nothing! It's going to be ok."

I pushed her hand away and resumed wallowing. It was my fault. I was stupid. Now I'm going to have to pay for it. I'm sure you're all wondering what happened. Well...

_ Naminé and I sat at a small folding table for hours signing autographs. As crazy as most my fans are, I still enjoy making them happy by taking pictures with them and whatnot. Nam beamed every time a fan acknowledged her and was practically on Cloud 9 if they asked for her picture. For the first time, I didn't have a care in the world._

_"There you are Dani," I handed a cute red-head with pigtails her signed pillow pet. She made her unicorn wave to me as her mother ushered her away. I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands behind my head. She was the last one in line; I could finally go home and sleep. I closed my eyes and breathed in the night air._

_"Um... Sora," I felt Naminé tapping my shoulder. I opened my eyes to find another fan at our table. It took my brain longer than normal to register exactly what I was seeing. Not just any fan was at my table, _Axel _was at my table. I hoped he didn't notice my eyes widen and couldn't tell I was holding my breath._

_"Hi..." I squeaked. He leaned forward and examined me. I prayed to God he didn't realize who I was._

_Finally he said, "You're a lot shorter in person." I can honestly say that in every scenario I planned out in my head detailing how Axel would meet Sora, I never in a million years thought he was going to say that. _

_"Um... thank you?" I replied uncertainly. I mean, honestly! What are you supposed to say to something like that? _

_Axel leaned in closer till I could feel his minty fresh breath on my face. I mentally gulped, hoping Axel would continue to be his normal dumb ass self and not suddenly grow a brain and realize that I look a heck of a lot like his best friend. "You see that girl over there?" he whispered, jerking his thumb behind him. I leaned over to see his younger sister Oerba hiding behind a pillar._

_"Yeah..."_

_"Well she would like your autograph, but it just too shy to come ask for it," he grinned at me. He handed me a notebook opened to a blank page. I knew from experience blackmailing Oerba that this was her diary. "Now, if you would be so kind as to sign your fancy little name right here, we can be on our way." The snarkiness in his voice threw me off a little. I knew he didn't like Sora, but I never expected him to be so rude to my alter ego._

_I didn't realize how long I sat and stared at the diary, lost in my own thoughts, until Axel snorted, "Look could you hurry it up? I'm tired and I'm sure you've got a long drive home or something."_

_I wish I could say signing my autograph was the only thing I did next, but I can't. I wish I could say that Axel and Sora parted ways in peace, but I can't. I wish I could say that I knew how to keep my damned mouth shut, but I just can't._

_I don't know what possessed me to say it, but as I signed my name for Oerba I opened my damn mouth and said, "Not really, I live around here so the drive won't be too bad." _

_The "a" of Sora became a jagged line as my eyes widened and my jaw dropped just a little. _Why the hell did I say that? Why the freaking hell did I just say that?_ I mentally chastised myself. Although I couldn't see her, I was pretty sure Naminé had a similar expression on her face. _

_I waited anxiously, hoping, praying that Axel didn't pick up on that. But I'm just not that lucky. "You live in Twilight Town?"_

_Then all hell broke loose._

_Olette, the reporter from People magazine, who had been waiting for the masses of people to dissipate so she could get an interview from me or something immediately whipped her head around like a lion catching sight of its prey. "You what?" she exclaimed. Her little heels clicked as she made her way to my table as fast as she could. "Did you just say you lived in Twilight Town?"_

_That one sentence caused a massive hoard of reporters, journalists, newscasters, and every other invader of my personal life who happened to be present to flood Nam and I at our small table. Thirty different voices squawked at me all at once, pushing microphones and tape recorders in my face. The various flashes affirmed that this moment would not be readily forgotten. Naminé squeezed my hand as that crowd pushed forward, allowing the two of us less and less space to breathe._

_Luckily, I have three damn good security guards who forced the blood thirsty maniacs back long enough to allow Naminé and I to escape to my limo. It wasn't until the door closed and I could finally breathe that I realized Axel not only met Sora and learned one of his secrets, but he somehow managed to escape before I was attacked by the lunatics. Lucky bastard._

I put my face in my hands. I am a complete and utter idiot and I most certainly deserve all of the shit I've got coming to me. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed.

The limo rolled to a stop outside Naminé's house. "Roxas," she started, "don't worry. I'm sure it'll all be ok." She offered me her best, most comforting smile, but it didn't make me feel any better. Almost a year. I went almost a full year without an issue and now I screwed it all up. I couldn't help but think that I may have effectively ruined my entire life.

...

4:36 AM. It is a damn good thing that I don't have school tomorrow. I opened the front door to my overly pretentious house, dropped my bag in its usual spot on the floor, and made my way to the living room.

My mother was in exactly the same place I left her, passed out of course, and I honestly couldn't decide if it was a good thing she was still breathing. _Don't think like that Roxas, she's still your mother_. I gently sunk into the couch next to her sleeping form and softly shook her awake. She blinked several times in confusion before focusing on my face.

"Cloud?" she asked quietly before becoming excited. She sat up hastily and grabbed my head crying, "Cloud! I'm so excited to see you!" She hugged me fiercely. "You said you wouldn't be here for another week, but I'm so happy you're here now. I'm so happy to see you!" She started crying into my shoulder.

This is the first time my mother has hugged me in three years and she's only hugging me because she thinks I'm my brother. I pulled her off me slowly and sat back. I sighed. "So... Cloud is coming home soon," I mumbled. I lifted my eyes to meet my mother's. She looked confused once again.

"Cloud is coming home next weekend." She seemed almost lucid there for a moment before her eyebrows crinkled up and she asked, "Who are you again?"

I stroked her hair lightly, sighing for the umpteenth time that night. "No one." I stated. "Go back to bed."

_So, Cloud will be visiting soon... great._

...

When I walked into my English class Monday morning I'm not quite sure what I expected to see. Did I expect everyone to be crowded around the magazine of their choice gawking at the recently printed news about Sora? Did I expect the students to be claiming each one of them was Sora or making ludicrous guesses as to who he could be? Did I expect Axel to act any different toward Roxas?

It doesn't matter what I expected because that Monday morning, I walked into my English class to see Axel standing at the front of the room giving an overly dramatic (and entirely exaggerated) retelling of his encounter with Sora. When he saw me enter the room he threw his hands up and shouted, "Oh Roxas! You're just in time to hear the best part!"

I took my seat as Axel resumed telling his story. "So there I was," he acted out his movements as he went, "standing in front of Sora's table. And I was all like, 'Yo dude, I need an autograph for my sis,' and he was all like, 'So? You gotta fight me for it.' So we started fighting and I hit him and he tried to hit me back and I was all like, 'Man this dude is an asshole _and_ a dick!' which really didn't make sense, but while I was all distracted and stuff he finally landed a punch.

"And then he was all like, 'Yeah, take that you pussy! That'll teach you to mess with me on my turf.' So I was like, 'Your turf?' And he was like, 'Yeah man, this be my home town fo' shizzle.' Then these psycho ninja reporter ladies appeared and I figured they would take care of Sora for me so I got my sister and we booked it.

"And that my friends," he paused for dramatic effect, "is how I met Sora." Cheers erupted from the classroom. Some students clapped suspiciously, unsure of whether or not Axel could be trusted, while others hooted with dedication, ready to believe whatever ridiculous tale Axel told.

He bowed dramatically, smirking as he did so, before taking his seat beside me with one minute till the start of class.

"So," he leaned over to talk to me, "I bet you wish you'd come to the concert with me, don't you?"

"It sounds like it was quite the adventure," I retorted with as much sarcasm as my short self could muster.

"Ha," he laughed, "hardly. I can't say I was impressed with Sora in the least bit."

"Oh?"

"Well, his songs were dumb, his voice isn't all that fantastic, his effects were just a little pretentious and made it look like he was trying too hard to be cool, and between you and me... he's kinda a wimp." Axel chuckled and nudged me in the arm like I was supposed to be laughing with him. I tried not to take anything he said to heart, but it hurt a little. How can I not care what my best friend thinks?

In an attempt to remedy the situation I inquired, "Was there anything you liked about him?"

Axel thought for a moment, a big feat for the guy, then looked right at me and pinched his eyebrows together. "You know what Roxas," he paused a bit longer than I wanted him to. No I don't know you dumbass, tell me! "You would look really great with blue eyes."

...

**AN: Well... no promises on when Chapter 6 will be posted, but I've already started writing it so I hope that means it will be up soon! Thanks for being such great fans!**

*****IMPORTANT:*** If you do not already know about The Eliminators and what they are trying to do to Fanfiction, I suggest you look up their forum as well as The Avengers, the group I started to try to protect the rights of Fanfiction authors. Seriously, even if you don't agree with my side of this fight, everyone should know what is going on. I'm not kidding! You need to go look this up!**

**Advice of the week: Don't eat yellow snow!**

**As beautiful as always,**

**Ali**


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